iOS Malware Found in Apple App Store; Android Malware Runs Wild

According to an article in the Examiner, traces of malware were found in the iOS App Store, but considered not to be malicious after further analysis. This is not the first time that malware activity has been found in the Apple App Store. Last summer, CNET reported that Windows-based malware was found in the iOS store, likely from the developers’ systems being exposed to the malware during testing. Known for its stringent manual review of apps, Apple somehow missed the malware sample, which begs the question: Should Apple be doing more than just manual reviews? For example,Airpush uses Appthority as an additional layer of protection in its manual approval process to scan all advertiser app promotions and URLs. The big question today is what will Apple do to ensure that this malware discovery doesn’t represent the wave of the future?

For our stat of the week—drum roll please—Android Authority reported that 1.4 million devices were infected with real malware in the US last year. According to Technology Guide, that number was even higher around the world: 32.8 million Android devices were infected with malware. 25.5 percent of infected mobile devices were in China, followed by India (19.4%), Russia (17.9%) and Saudi Arabia (9.6%). This means that over 70 percent of infections occurred in countries where piracy and (illegal) third party app stores are popular. In China, for example, Google Play doesn’t offer paid-for apps and users can only download free apps.

Comments on this week’s news? Contact the Appthority team at @Appthority.